Patients believe strongly in the idea of free, facile health information exchange that allows providers to access critical patient data wherever the patient goes, according to a new survey by the Society of Participatory Medicine and ORC International.

The poll, released days after Epic Systems revealed that it charges $2.35 per patient each year to exchange health information between providers, puts public opinion firmly on the side of increased EHR interoperability and a culture of open, data-driven healthcare.

Three-quarters of patients participating in the survey recognize the crucial importance of health information exchange for their care, indicating a high expectation that their personal health information be able to follow them between primary care sites, specialists, and hospitals. Read more here.